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Welcome back Hostel Road Trip podcast fans.

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We're here in Guadalajara, Mexico at the Boho Hostel with the owner Roberto.

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And we're super excited to get this show back on the road.

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And we're super excited to hear about how you came to create this place and your journey of hostiling in its own.

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And just from sitting in here, this is what I almost classify as a poshtel.

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It's so nice, you know, and you have that higher level of service,

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which is so exciting to see throughout the industry and going on.

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But Roberto, to kind of start off, how did you get into hostiling?

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Well, first of all, thanks for having me. It's the first time I ever do a podcast.

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Alright.

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This is fun, it's exciting.

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How did it start? I think it was, it's a family business.

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It was mostly like my long-term dream to have a hostel, to work kind of in the hospitality industry.

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But mostly hostels, because they're very different from hotels and the rest of the categories from hospitality.

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I think it all started, this is kind of a fun story, the first hostel I went to was in London.

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I was like 10 years, that was in 2006.

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How old were you?

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Like 10 or 9 years old.

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You were 10? Okay.

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We were traveling with the family.

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We were staying in like very cheap hotels and accommodations.

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But it was like the last week, and of course, I was paying for the whole family, my sister and my mom.

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So he was like, no, no, so expensive.

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So the only option we have is a hostel.

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My mom was like, no way, you're not saying we're not saying a hostel.

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She's never been to a hostel, but there's like a private plantation here in Mexico.

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That's why we're doing the podcast.

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Yeah, yeah. Cool.

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Yeah, yeah, that's it.

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And I still remember that place, it was called Picadilly Backpackers.

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Okay.

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So we went to like this very sketchy old building.

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And I remember the first day I was arriving there, there was like these guys playing Gamecube.

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And some other guys playing the guitar.

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I was like, wow, this place is so cool.

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And my parents back then, they were younger.

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And everyone was like, oh, it's so cool.

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You're traveling with your family.

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You have some kids.

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So ever since, we kind of switch our, the way we used to see hostels.

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And from then on, every time we travel, we only stay in hostels.

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I love that so much.

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I often call it popping someone's hostel cherry in that way of their first experience.

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And it's so important.

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If a family comes into a hostel like this, or a first time backpacker comes into a hostel of this quality,

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I feel like we win them forever.

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Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.

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Because there is such a bad stigma, especially in America.

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Especially in America.

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Hostels are the worst, the movies they made with that, the horror movies, just set us back decades.

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So it's frustrating at times.

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But the genesis of this podcast was to share all of the awesome locations and experiences of owners that have opened up hostels

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so that people can become more aware of them and we can break down those stigmas.

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Because we're confident, just as I'm sure you are, from your own experience and now from providing that experience,

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that we can break down those barriers.

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And once they do come in, they're more than likely to stop looking at hotels and start looking at hostels.

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So that's so cool that you got exposed to it at a young age.

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And I love that you highlight that it is something that families can travel in.

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And it can be a great experience for young people to see all the different cultures and different things,

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open their eyes to so many things.

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Now, when did that lead you to, when did this location open up?

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This opened in 2019.

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Just right before the pandemic? Wow!

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October. So we were just brand new. We opened five months later. We had to close.

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Was it a hostel before?

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No, no, no, no. This was like some warehouse or something.

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No, it was like a tonnery office. It was kind of very old.

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So you did everything, remodeled everything.

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And that, you know, that's a great topic because I know a lot of fellow hostel owners will listen to this

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and know the struggle you went through.

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But to take on a project like this where this isn't just like a house where you're through a few bunk beds

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and this is a massive commercial renovation.

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How many bunks are in here? How many?

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Bunk beds.

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How many heads can you fit? What's your output?

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I think the maximum is like 62.

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We also have like private rooms.

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You have a nice mixture. So you have suites, privates.

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And dorms. There are mostly dorms. We only have three suites, five privates and 12 dorms.

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That mix is so important to know of though because I feel like a lot of, especially Americans,

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are hesitant to try maybe because they don't want to do the shared accommodation of the dorm.

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But the private room, now they can have that in the experience.

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So I love to see the mix in your accommodations to allow that.

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But 2019, you go through this massive investment renovation and then you have to shut down.

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Kudos to you for making through it.

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But tell us a bit about that experience of like going through the pandemic after just opening.

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I was saying, you're bobbying, right?

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I was telling you earlier that it was not too bad.

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We had to close for two months.

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And of course, everyone was, it was total, no one knew what was going to happen next.

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It was just like uncertainty.

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But then the borders, Mexican borders were never closed for the tourists.

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I think we were the only country in the world.

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So there was many people that have never come to Mexico before, mostly Europeans.

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They were so tired of being quarantined for months.

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So for the first two months, we could only, the government only allowed us to open 50% of the capacity.

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And of course we had all the safety.

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Yeah.

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But we never had like an inspection.

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They were telling us that we were going to have like once a week.

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Nothing happened.

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So we were trying like, okay, we can chill out.

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And then we opened to the full capacity, I believe, four months later.

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It was full for the rest of the year.

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And it was, for me personally, it was very beautiful, interesting, experiencing the relief of the people coming from countries where it was like so intense.

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So what's the word?

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Restricted.

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Restricted, yeah.

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And coming here, they felt like free.

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They were like, yeah, let's go to tequila.

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Let's have some shots upstairs.

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We want a beer.

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No one was wearing a face mask.

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Let's go out, chapultepe, walk.

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For them it was like, wow, two days ago I was in my house.

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You cannot go out anywhere.

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And this is kind of surreal because it's totally different.

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But I saw a lot of happy faces and people like almost crying when they arrived here.

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What was the inspiration for this place?

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Like it's a beautiful facility you designed.

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Did you have a background in hospitality or design?

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Tell us how you kind of went through that process.

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Yeah, well, I'm an artist.

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I'm a sculptor.

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But this was mostly the projects mostly my sister and I.

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She lives now off-grid.

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She's like an aunt girl.

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She likes to live on the farm.

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You can see there's a lot of plants.

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We knew the place, the property was not too big.

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So at the beginning we thought it was just going to be like two levels, some dorms, a nice roofed up kitchen.

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That's it.

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So this, as I said, it's a family project.

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But then more family joined as investors.

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So it grew more than what I expected.

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But I was only, always my sister Paloma and myself, we're the ones who are going to manage it and be in charge of it.

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So she was here for the first two years and then she's like, I hate the city.

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I love being there, but she has her own project.

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Inspiration was like making kind of a safe place, a comfortable place, kind of an oasis inside of the center of the second biggest city in Mexico.

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So a place where you can come and relax.

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It's not a party hostel.

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At the beginning we thought of making like a party hostel, but there's more hostels, party hostels very close from here.

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So we said like, why don't we change to like a different concept to make it like more laid back, chill.

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It's going to be clean, but it's not going to be, it's social.

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Every hostel has to be social, but it's not the place where it's going to be loud music and people getting drunk at 4 a.m.

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Way easier to host and operate that kind of hostel.

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First year was kind of a party hostel.

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We found that.

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You're not going to last if you do that.

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We found the party will come anyway.

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The people will have a good time anyway.

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If you force the party, sometimes you can get out of control and it just turns into a headache right now.

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There's a lot of good places around.

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The best city where the nightlife is, so if you want to party, just walk one block away from here.

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Reflecting on it, like what would you, what advice would you give to the next person that maybe in your shoes that was trying to make a hostel like this with their family?

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Or what did you learn during that process that you could pass on?

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Wow, working with a family was a more, the hardest thing.

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That's challenging.

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Challenging for my parents, my sister and I, like it was very challenging, but in a way it makes us like more close together.

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Working together, it was very hard.

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The ones that make it through it are tighter.

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In those situations, family or not, friends or just business, those early struggles, you either fall apart or you fight through.

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But if you get through, then you are struggling for it.

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I'm very happy.

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The end result, yeah, the result was way much better than I expected.

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It was beautiful.

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Beautiful facility.

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My advice would be, I think I did a very good partnership with my sister because she's more like in the administrative area.

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She compliments you.

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She compliments, that's the thing.

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Like asking for help and not doing everything by your own, like compliments.

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I'm more the social side.

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We work with volunteers.

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I like to be in reception, getting to know the guests, everyone.

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She was more like numbers and control and everything that I'm not that person, but it was good.

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Because as a business, you need both.

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You need both.

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You need a good partner.

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Front of the curtain and the back of the curtain.

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Both equally important, but a lot of times someone has one and not the other.

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If this was by myself, it wouldn't be.

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How about the cafe side?

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Do you guys run that internally?

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Do you outsource that?

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Internally as well.

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We just opened a year ago.

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What have you learned from having a cafe in the hostel?

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A lot of hostels have it, some don't have it.

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Obviously running a food business is tough.

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It is tough.

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I wasn't expecting to be...

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It's a lot more challenges.

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It is.

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I thought it was going to be just selling coffee and breakfast.

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Man, it's...

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So hard to turn the proper, not lose money.

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Yeah.

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And you got to be there.

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It's very demanding.

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Right.

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But the first months were kind of slow, now it's getting better.

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It is like a good compliment as well.

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There's a lot of people that are like...

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Do you get outside people that come in for you?

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Yeah.

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Everyone in the mornings were asking us...

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We had like the free coffee filter.

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Filter?

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Yeah.

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But people were asking me like, oh, you should sell me like a sandwich, some breakfast, whatever.

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Listen to what they want, right?

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Yeah, exactly.

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So, but yeah, it's been quite much more complicated than what I expected.

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Do you find that like the...

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You guys sell alcohol too or...?

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Just beer.

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We only have license for low...

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Low alcohol content.

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Yeah.

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And do you find it very profitable and outsiders come drink?

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Like some hostels they find they make more money, maybe more of a party hostel, from the alcohol than the beds.

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But where do you...?

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The thing is that in this area there's a lot of bars.

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We were also thinking about instead of a cafe opening a bar upstairs, but that's the thing.

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We don't have much of a space.

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Yeah, it's a totally different like energy vibe to it because...

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I don't know.

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I like more the idea of coffee in the mornings.

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Now we're going to extend to also for lunch and dinner.

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Yeah.

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But yeah...

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Easier to control that.

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Yeah, it's easier to control and...

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Yeah, there's so many bars around that we thought like no...

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Why you compete with it.

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Focus on having a great hostel.

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Exactly.

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And let them have a great bar.

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I mean we sell beers, we make a bunch of activities where there's alcohol involved.

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So people can have a great time.

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00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:05,000
If you want to bring your tequila because we don't sell like liquor, you can.

242
00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:06,000
Right.

243
00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:09,000
But yeah, it was...

244
00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:13,000
So we decided not to go towards like party hostel and make it...

245
00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:15,000
Oh yeah, and a lot of problems that can come with that.

246
00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:16,000
Yeah.

247
00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:19,000
But I noticed one of the first things when I walked in was I was taken back of like,

248
00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:25,000
oh wow, this is a very nice facility, you know, feels to that level of a hotel grade.

249
00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:29,000
But then I also saw that you had that nice activity wall.

250
00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:30,000
Yeah.

251
00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:33,000
Which is so crucial in a genuine authentic backpacker hostel.

252
00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:34,000
Exactly.

253
00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:38,000
Those social immersion activities and the pushing people together.

254
00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:42,000
So it was really cool to see that you still kept that even though the facility

255
00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:44,000
feels more at that higher end.

256
00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:49,000
So I think that's a really cool new concept model that's happening a lot where you're

257
00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:53,000
finding hostels getting nicer in quality, but they're still keeping their roots.

258
00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:54,000
Yeah, exactly.

259
00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:58,000
And it definitely... you've set up a nice vibe in here with...

260
00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:02,000
you have that whole digital nomad, people working remotely.

261
00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:06,000
And right away I could feel like, oh, this is a place where I could sit down and get

262
00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:09,000
some work done as well, which helps you stay longer in the end.

263
00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:12,000
So that's a beautiful thing that you've created here.

264
00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:15,000
How about... how has this summer been in Guadalajara?

265
00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:16,000
This summer?

266
00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:19,000
Yeah, how was... coming off COVID, we have a place in Sailita and it was definitely...

267
00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:22,000
seemed like it was a slower summer than obviously...

268
00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:24,000
This was the lowest summer ever.

269
00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:25,000
Right, I think everybody...

270
00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:27,000
Cool down because everyone came in a rush right there.

271
00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:28,000
Yeah.

272
00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:34,000
At first, someone also told us that most of the tourism worldwide was concentrated in

273
00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:38,000
Europe because it was... before COVID, the first year that it was like fully open,

274
00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:39,000
no restrictions.

275
00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:40,000
Yeah, yeah.

276
00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:46,000
So I've seen a lot of people were traveling in Europe, different countries, but high season

277
00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:50,000
of the year, especially... well, Mexico, especially when I had this winter time.

278
00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:53,000
A month ago, we started being fully booked and now it's better.

279
00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:54,000
Yeah, nice.

280
00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:55,000
Yeah, summer was pretty...

281
00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:58,000
What kind of... going into this year, what kind of travelers are you seeing?

282
00:14:58,000 --> 00:14:59,000
Different kind of travelers?

283
00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:00,000
Are you feeling a vibe?

284
00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:02,000
Small kind of travelers, yeah.

285
00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:03,000
Yeah, yeah.

286
00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:06,000
There's a thing with Mexican travelers.

287
00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:08,000
They don't know the concept of a hostel.

288
00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:09,000
Oh.

289
00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:11,000
There's a lot of Mexicans that they book here.

290
00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:14,000
They're paying a 250 pesos bunk bed.

291
00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:17,000
When they arrive, they're like, no, no, no, I'm not sharing a dorm.

292
00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:18,000
What's this?

293
00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:21,000
Like, bro, you book a six-bed, share a dorm.

294
00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:25,000
It's like, oh, what are you expecting for 250 pesos?

295
00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:28,000
And they're like surprised and they're like, no, no, no, I need a refund.

296
00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:30,000
Or some people are like, okay, I'm going to give it a chance.

297
00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:31,000
And then they like it.

298
00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:32,000
Right.

299
00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:35,000
There's many Mexicans that are not aware of this concept or they don't...

300
00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:38,000
There's many people they book and they're like...

301
00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:41,000
Or they book a private room, expecting this to be a hotel.

302
00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:43,000
And they're like, no, we're a hostel.

303
00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:45,000
And we're like, what's a hostel?

304
00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,000
Share a dorm, share an area.

305
00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:49,000
Do you have a big seasonal difference?

306
00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:54,000
Like we have a place in Sao Alita and in the wintertime, you get many Americans, Europeans, Canadians.

307
00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:56,000
And in the summertime, you get many Mexican travelers.

308
00:15:56,000 --> 00:16:01,000
Yeah, wintertime is people from colder countries that come to warmer winter here in Mexico.

309
00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:07,000
Do you change your hosting styles, your activities that kind of cater to the culture, cultural norms?

310
00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:13,000
Well, wintertime, it's more kind of a party.

311
00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:22,000
Like from November, I think to Easter, it's where we mostly make like pop curls.

312
00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:25,000
And it's more like these activities of party.

313
00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:28,000
And for the rest of the year, they're like hiking.

314
00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:29,000
Let's go for the waterfalls.

315
00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:32,000
It gets so hot, you want to go somewhere outside of the city.

316
00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:33,000
Let's go make a hike.

317
00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:34,000
I don't know.

318
00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:36,000
Maybe it does change, but it's...

319
00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:39,000
What's your age demographic, you'd say?

320
00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:41,000
Like range, do you have it?

321
00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:46,000
I noticed we were staying in a dorm room upstairs and there was an older woman staying there.

322
00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:48,000
And I always love to see the wide age range.

323
00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:50,000
I love to see the older travelers and the younger travelers.

324
00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:51,000
They're not very young.

325
00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:52,000
I'd say mid-30s.

326
00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:54,000
Mid-30s, yeah.

327
00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,000
And I could see how this would create a comfortable space for them.

328
00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:00,000
Maybe the party hostel has the younger crowd.

329
00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:09,000
Do you offer co-living or do you guys dabble in the co-living space to try to have long-term people in the slumber season?

330
00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:10,000
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

331
00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:12,000
We've had people staying here for almost a year.

332
00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:14,000
They become like part of a family.

333
00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:17,000
They can also sometimes they're staying for long and we need volunteers.

334
00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:20,000
So like, hey, you want to volunteer with us?

335
00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:21,000
Nice transition.

336
00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:22,000
Good exchange.

337
00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:30,000
Any struggles with that in the long term co-living that you've come across with that or is that going pretty smooth for you?

338
00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:32,000
Well, you always have.

339
00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:33,000
Oh, eventually, yeah.

340
00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:34,000
Complicated.

341
00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:36,000
Being with people, you know, it's not easy.

342
00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:41,000
But I've always found a way to communicate like, hey, it's not working anymore.

343
00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:42,000
Thanks for your help.

344
00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:44,000
I think you need a change to something.

345
00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:46,000
It's never been too complicated.

346
00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:47,000
Depending on how you have it.

347
00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:49,000
I mean, you guys also work in hostels.

348
00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:50,000
Oh, yeah.

349
00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:53,000
You always have that one very complicated.

350
00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:57,000
Guess that you're like, oh, it's part of it.

351
00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:58,000
With all the beautiful ones.

352
00:17:58,000 --> 00:17:59,000
Yeah, yeah.

353
00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:02,000
It's most of the majority of great people.

354
00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:03,000
Yeah.

355
00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:04,000
And how about Guadalajara?

356
00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:06,000
What is the big reason travelers come here?

357
00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:07,000
What would you?

358
00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,000
It's not a very I was born here.

359
00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:11,000
It was not a very touristic city.

360
00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:14,000
It started to be like 10 years ago.

361
00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:19,000
I think mostly this area, the center, the historical center downtown, it's pretty.

362
00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:23,000
It's nice, but it's not like super impressive.

363
00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:29,000
But I think this area, Colonia Americana, was like an old houses.

364
00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:30,000
They're starting.

365
00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:34,000
They started to well, new year universities open.

366
00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:36,000
So there was like more young people coming to downtown.

367
00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:43,000
So music scene, culture, cafes, restaurants, hostels, start opening bars.

368
00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:47,000
And I think the attraction, it could be also tequila.

369
00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:49,000
It's very close to town.

370
00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:53,000
There's many like cultural events.

371
00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:57,000
It's not as expensive and crowded as Mexico City.

372
00:18:57,000 --> 00:18:58,000
The food is good.

373
00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:03,000
And one of the things that I found out is also as many people that come here and say,

374
00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:07,000
because they found out that a girl from here.

375
00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:08,000
Yeah, yeah.

376
00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:10,000
That's great.

377
00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:11,000
That's great.

378
00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:12,000
Come on.

379
00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:13,000
That's been surprised.

380
00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:14,000
Love is in the air.

381
00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:15,000
Yeah, yeah.

382
00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:17,000
There's a lot of the hostel, too.

383
00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:18,000
Yeah, yeah.

384
00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:19,000
Or people.

385
00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:20,000
I don't know.

386
00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:24,000
I feel like Guadalajara is a place where you can stay like four or five days and move somewhere

387
00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:28,000
else, kind of towards the center, towards Puerto Vallarta, Sayulita.

388
00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:33,000
But I found it interesting also people like staying for longer because I don't know.

389
00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:34,000
They just like the city.

390
00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:36,000
It's a big city, but it's very chill.

391
00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:38,000
It doesn't feel like.

392
00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:39,000
It's not overwhelming.

393
00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:40,000
Exactly.

394
00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:43,000
I mean, it could be if you're driving a car, if you're working here, but not as a tourist,

395
00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:44,000
just walking around.

396
00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:45,000
Yeah, it is very relaxing.

397
00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:46,000
Yeah.

398
00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:47,000
It's true.

399
00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:52,000
And how about now kind of looking back, you know, five, pretty much five years in, is it

400
00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:56,000
what you thought it was going to be, running a hostel, running a hostel?

401
00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:59,000
I thought it was going to be more demanding.

402
00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:00,000
It is.

403
00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:04,000
I mean, sometimes, but it's fun for me.

404
00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:05,000
Yeah.

405
00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:07,000
I mean, I've traveled before here.

406
00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:08,000
I've traveled.

407
00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:12,000
I've been to many different hostels, so I kind of took ideas from different places.

408
00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:13,000
I work in the hostel.

409
00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:16,000
I also do volunteers in different countries.

410
00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:20,000
So I kind of learned from different hostels.

411
00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:28,000
And I thought that the side of being a, how do you say, the host was not going to be easy

412
00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:29,000
for me.

413
00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:30,000
It's been.

414
00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:31,000
It came naturally.

415
00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:32,000
Yeah.

416
00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:33,000
That's good.

417
00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:37,000
We always say to our managers, you're stressed out and you're not having fun.

418
00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:38,000
Something's wrong.

419
00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:39,000
Exactly.

420
00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:41,000
Something's gone wrong because this is a fun job.

421
00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:42,000
It is.

422
00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:43,000
I find that it's fun.

423
00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:47,000
And if you're doing it right, it should be very enjoyable and the exact opposite of your

424
00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:48,000
cubicle.

425
00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:52,000
So it's always glad to hear other people sharing that.

426
00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:56,000
And we love that a lot of aspiring hostel owners listen to this podcast.

427
00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:58,000
So it's always good for them to hear that too.

428
00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:02,000
Sometimes you'll get an episode where the owner is crying into the microphone.

429
00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:06,000
If I could take you back in a time machine.

430
00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:07,000
I wouldn't do it.

431
00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:08,000
Oh, God.

432
00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:09,000
Shit.

433
00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:10,000
It's good to hear that you are.

434
00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:11,000
It's not for everyone.

435
00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:12,000
It isn't for everyone.

436
00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:17,000
And it can become challenging if you don't have good systems or the right attitude or

437
00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:20,000
outlook on things or if you take things personally.

438
00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:22,000
A lot of things can start to eat away at you.

439
00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:24,000
How many volunteers do you have?

440
00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:26,000
Usually around five.

441
00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:27,000
And they live on site?

442
00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:29,000
And you live on site?

443
00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:30,000
No, not anymore.

444
00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:31,000
Not anymore.

445
00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:33,000
I used to sometimes, but not anymore.

446
00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,000
You've got to separate.

447
00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:36,000
For separation, yeah.

448
00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:37,000
Yeah.

449
00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:41,000
That's good that you get some space and balance and that will keep your longevity too.

450
00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:43,000
You'll be able to do it longer.

451
00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:48,000
For the detail, I feel like your hostel has so much great attention to detail and art

452
00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:49,000
and stuff.

453
00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:53,000
How do you prioritize that to keep it looking so good all the time?

454
00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:56,000
We're always adding something new.

455
00:21:56,000 --> 00:22:02,000
It's been four years, but for example, someone gave us that piggy thing, ceramic.

456
00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:03,000
Yeah.

457
00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:05,000
More pans keep coming.

458
00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:08,000
The cafes used to be the living area.

459
00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:09,000
There was another sofa.

460
00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:11,000
Now it's gone.

461
00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:15,000
We've always been constantly transforming the hostel.

462
00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:21,000
The basement, when we just opened, it was empty.

463
00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:27,000
It was mostly for storage rooms and we were not sure if we were making privates or dorms.

464
00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:28,000
Now there are female dorms.

465
00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:31,000
They've been there for a year, I think, in a TV area.

466
00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:33,000
I don't know if you had a look down there.

467
00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:34,000
I've been there, yeah.

468
00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:35,000
That's also kind of new.

469
00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:38,000
Every year we try to make something different.

470
00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:40,000
That's awesome.

471
00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:45,000
There's always so many people coming in your hostel, so it's slowly getting wear and tear.

472
00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:50,000
If you're not constantly fixing it, keeping it up, refreshing it, adding new things, you

473
00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:54,000
can quickly find your hostel slowly going down.

474
00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:55,000
That's a great tip for hostel owners.

475
00:22:55,000 --> 00:23:00,000
Even if it's a little thing each day or a little bit each week, just continuing to... You

476
00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:02,000
said you were practicing sculpture.

477
00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:04,000
I always refer to the hostel as a sculpture.

478
00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:05,000
Yeah, it is.

479
00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:06,000
This is a sculpture.

480
00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:10,000
We're always kind of sanding it or polishing it or carving something out.

481
00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:11,000
Constantly.

482
00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:13,000
It's always something you can... Never ending.

483
00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:14,000
Never ending.

484
00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:15,000
Living and breathing beast.

485
00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:16,000
Yeah, it is.

486
00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:21,000
It's more fun and enjoyable when you continue to cultivate it because if you were coming

487
00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:26,000
into the same exact place for five years, you'd become stagnant and then you'd become heartbroken

488
00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:28,000
because that same exact place wouldn't look the same.

489
00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:29,000
It would be broken down.

490
00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:31,000
It would be not what it was.

491
00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:35,000
I think that's great advice to keep your passion up.

492
00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:39,000
Keep your passion in it is by keeping that cultivation going.

493
00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:43,000
You said you were an artist before and you can definitely see it within the bones of

494
00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:47,000
your building because the little touches, the details are also very nice.

495
00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:48,000
Where do you want to go from here?

496
00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,000
Are you going to open another place?

497
00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:52,000
Do you want to just make this place better?

498
00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:53,000
For now, it is.

499
00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:54,000
What's on the future for you?

500
00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:59,000
I would love, as you say, guys, having one here, one on the beach, that's my dream.

501
00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:00,000
That's always nice.

502
00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:01,000
Beach getaway.

503
00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:02,000
Beach, yeah.

504
00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:06,000
Also by the beach so I can move from the city and be there.

505
00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:11,000
But I see it more in the long term because I know if I get to open our houses, it might

506
00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:15,000
not be the same with my family dynamic.

507
00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:20,000
Now I'm mostly in charge of this, so I have to be with someone else.

508
00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:23,000
I'm not in a rush, but I would definitely love to.

509
00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:24,000
You're still so young.

510
00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:25,000
Still have some time.

511
00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:26,000
You have time.

512
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:27,000
That's your favorite definition.

513
00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:28,000
Still learning.

514
00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:30,000
Long way to go.

515
00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:35,000
Do you have a favorite beach destination that you love in Mexico?

516
00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,000
My dad is from Puerto Vallarta.

517
00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,000
I have family in Puerto Vallarta.

518
00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:43,000
So that area, my sister lives close from there.

519
00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:44,000
I used to leave.

520
00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:45,000
I quit high school when I was young.

521
00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:46,000
I went to Sayulita.

522
00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:49,000
I was like a hippie living, surfing.

523
00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:50,000
I can see that.

524
00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:52,000
I was a part of it as well.

525
00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:54,000
But now Sayulita has grown so much.

526
00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:55,000
I don't know.

527
00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:57,000
There's some panches next to it.

528
00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:02,000
My sister lives a little bit southern from an hour or two hours from Puerto Vallarta.

529
00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:05,000
There's some beautiful beaches that are not too big.

530
00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:07,000
Now they're starting to grow a little bit more.

531
00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:08,000
So maybe.

532
00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:14,000
I had someone tell me if you want to see what Sayulita felt like 10 years ago.

533
00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:15,000
Go to San Pancho now.

534
00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:18,000
I went there and I was like, wow, this is super relaxed.

535
00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:20,000
It's super chill, super relaxed.

536
00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:22,000
But you can tell it's getting...

537
00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:23,000
It's a bunch as well.

538
00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:24,000
Yeah.

539
00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:25,000
Both.

540
00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:26,000
You see the prices going up.

541
00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:27,000
Yeah.

542
00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:29,000
So it's almost like you have to go to the next village now.

543
00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:30,000
Exactly.

544
00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:31,000
It's going to happen.

545
00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:32,000
Yeah.

546
00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:36,000
Now, Bobby was telling me about this famous sandwich which we're going to go hunt down

547
00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:37,000
after we finish.

548
00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:38,000
Tortadola.

549
00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:39,000
Tell us about this.

550
00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:40,000
Big biselavit.

551
00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:47,000
Well, I think that's one of the attractions of Vallarta as well, the food, like the gastronomy

552
00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:48,000
and the music.

553
00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:53,000
If you want, if you can go a day to Tlaquepaque, that's how talking about San Pancho, if you

554
00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:56,000
want to see how Guadalajara was like 50 years ago.

555
00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:00,000
That's like the old traditional side of the city.

556
00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:05,000
There's also, with that music, there's a lot of art galleries, good food.

557
00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:07,000
Tortas ahogadas, you can find them all over the city.

558
00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:08,000
Do you have a favorite one?

559
00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:12,000
If you just have one when you visit Guadalajara, which one should you go for?

560
00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,000
Because this is like a sandwich with like a meat topping.

561
00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:16,000
Yeah, meat, it's like pork.

562
00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:17,000
Pork.

563
00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:20,000
It's ahogada, it's like singed in salsa.

564
00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:27,000
So it's usually like super spicy sauce, now it's tomato, picante or not picante.

565
00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:31,000
There's one very famous one, I don't remember the name, but it has a bicycle.

566
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:33,000
I think it's just called La Bicicleta.

567
00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:34,000
Those are in central.

568
00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:39,000
But the thing about Tortas Ahogadas, they don't change much the flavor from the basic

569
00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:40,000
ones.

570
00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:41,000
It's pretty similar.

571
00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:44,000
There's also another thing called carne en su jugo.

572
00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:46,000
You can only get it in Guadalajara.

573
00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:47,000
Carne.

574
00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:48,000
En su jugo.

575
00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:49,000
Okay.

576
00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:54,000
It's like a beef stew with beans and bacon.

577
00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:56,000
You can only get it, well, it's from Guadalajara.

578
00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:59,000
And the original place is not too far from here.

579
00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:00,000
It's called Garibaldi.

580
00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:02,000
Now this is a chain restaurant all over Mexico.

581
00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:03,000
Carne es Garibaldi.

582
00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:05,000
But the first one in the street is Garibaldi.

583
00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:06,000
It's here.

584
00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:07,000
It's good, man.

585
00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:08,000
Nice.

586
00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:09,000
Try it.

587
00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:14,000
Any closing words for aspiring hostel owners?

588
00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:21,000
It's kind of, if you're adventurous, if you like to travel, having a hostel, working

589
00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:26,000
in a hostel is that, for me, this is where I grew up, this is where I was born.

590
00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:31,000
But I feel like I'm constantly also like traveling because I get to see people from over the world.

591
00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:32,000
It's amazing.

592
00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:33,000
It's an amazing adventure.

593
00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:35,000
I would just say that it's...

594
00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:36,000
It's true.

595
00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:41,000
I always like to say you can stay in the same place and the world comes to you every day.

596
00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:42,000
Exactly.

597
00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:43,000
That was what I was trying to say.

598
00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:44,000
It's so very far.

599
00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:46,200
It comes to you every day.

600
00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:51,000
So there are some very good inspiring words for you aspiring hostel owners out there.

601
00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:54,000
But Roberto, thank you so much from the Fulva Hostel.

602
00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:55,000
Thank you, guys.

603
00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:56,000
I appreciate it.

604
00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:57,000
Come and check it out.

605
00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:02,000
I'm going to go hit up these sandwiches and the fine delicacies of the town and I will

606
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:04,000
give a full report later on.

607
00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:05,000
Thanks, guys.

608
00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:06,000
Thanks, everybody.

609
00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:07,000
Have a good day.

610
00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:08,000
Bye-bye.

611
00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:13,000
Bye-bye.